DEA : Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths Rising at an Alarming Rate
Volume 9
DEA : Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths Rising at an Alarming Rate
Champions Edition
This opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the national reemergence of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid which is much more potent than heroin . Fentanyl ’ s strong opioid properties have made it an attractive drug of abuse .
Illicit fentanyl , manufactured in foreign countries and then smuggled into the United States , is a rising factor in the current overdose epidemic . It is usually mixed into heroin products or pressed into counterfeit prescription pills , sometimes without the users ’ awareness , which often leads to overdose .
The rise in overdose deaths also coincides with the arrival of carfentanil , a fentanyl-related compound , in America ’ s illicit drug markets . Carfentanil is approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine .
Powerful synthetic opioid often added to heroin , sold as heroin to unsuspecting
DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg today announced results from the 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment ( NDTA ), which details the extent to which illicit drugs are affecting the United States .
Most notably , the 2016 NDTA continues to illuminate the nationwide opioid epidemic , which is fueling a growing heroin user population and resulting in a greater amount of overdoses .
In 2014 , approximately 129 people died every day as a result of drug poisoning and 61 % ( 79 ) of them are pharmaceutical opioid or heroin related . [ i ]
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